General Admissions Requirements 

Program Prerequisites

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Each program will have required relevant prerequisites defined in at least one of the following categories: (a) undergraduate course work, (b) program oriented extensive or intensive experience, or (c) other (writing, etc.). Prospective students should note specific Program Prerequisites in the individual program prospectus and in the catalog.

Applicants should be aware that in the admissions review all components of the application packet are examined with no one component serving solely as a basis for admission or rejection of an application. Also note that individual programs may have additional admissions requirements described in the program prospectus in the catalog. Admission to the graduate school normally requires the following items:

• The completed Application Form.

• An official transcript indicating graduation with a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university, typically including at least sixty (60) semester hours of liberal arts course work. Official transcripts must be submitted from schools attended since high school where more than three courses were taken and from all schools where prerequisite courses were completed. Applicants who attended secondary school (high school) outside the United States should submit those transcripts as well. Certified translations for non-English transcripts are required.

• A cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale).

• Submission of scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) verbal and analytical sections or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Test scores must be less than five years old.  Applicants are required to submit test scores from either the Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). If you already have an earned accredited master's or doctoral degree,
  you may be eligible for a waiver of the GRE or MAT test requirement. Check with your admissions counselor for further information.

• Letters of recommendation from (a) your pastor, (b) a faculty member in a school where you have recently taken academic work (undergraduate or graduate), (c) an employer or other relevant individual.

• Proof of English competency for students for whom English is not the first language. This is normally measured by the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The minimum score required is 237 (computer test) or 580 (paper test), and scores submitted must be less than two years old. Waivers are not normally granted from this requirement. However, if a waiver is authorized, applicants then become subject to the same standardized testing requirements as their native English-speaking counterparts, required to submit qualifying scores from either the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Applicants should weigh this prospect carefully before requesting a waiver from the TOEFL. Waiver requests must be submitted in writing to the Director of Admissions at least three months (90 days) prior to the application deadline date in order to allow sufficient time for testing if the request is denied. Failure to submit qualifying test scores by application deadlines may result in outright denial of admission or postponement of application decision to a subsequent semester.

• Accepted students will receive further information and a proper form to be completed as part of the admissions process. Do not send immunization documentation before receiving the official form.

• Students who are taking less than six hours of credit or were born prior to 1957 are exempt from this law.

• Personal statements that include the following:

1. A statement of your past and present spiritual life. This may include your Christian conversion and other significant spiritual events and formative influences in your life (one or two pages).

2. A statement outlining your motivation to study at Trinity Graduate School, an evangelical Christian school, and your future goals (one or two pages).

• Submission of a $25 nonrefundable application fee.

Application Procedure

A rolling admissions process (see application instructions) is used for master’s program applicants; however, it is recommended that application be made 6 months in advance of the expected enrollment date, but certainly before the following deadlines:

Applications received after these deadlines may be subject to a $20 late application fee, and no applications will be considered for a given semester after the second week of that semester. (Note: Do not send the late application fee in with the application unless notified to do so.)

Upon admission to Trinity, a student should submit a tuition deposit to the Admissions Office to reserve his or her place in the school. This deposit is credited toward the first term’s tuition and is refundable. New students are encouraged to send in their deposit as soon as possible since class registration times are assigned based on the date the deposit is received. (See Application Instructions for further information on refunds.)

Denied applicants may appeal in writing to the Admissions Committee no later than 90 days following the date of the Admissions Committee decision.